A Ranma ½ Fanfict by Tangent

DISCLAIMER: "Ranma ½" and all the characters therein belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogagukan, Kitty and Viz Video. This is a fan fiction produced for my own enjoyment and for passing on without profit. Other characters that come into play in this fanfict may or may not be pulled from other sources (including other fanficts, R.P.G.s, manga, anime, literature, or possibly even *GASP* American comic books!).

A WORD FROM TANGENT: Just something fun I whipped together that seemed appropriate.

CHAPTER THREE: Oh My! Ranko’s First Morning

Ranko woke up to find that Akane was still asleep, so she carefully got up and gathered the sleeping gear that the Tendos had given her. The Futon was carefully folded, as were the sheets, and she placed them in the corner of the room where they would be out of the way. As she placed the pillow on top of the stack, she looked over at Akane and smiled. Ranma loved the girl more than he knew how to express it, even if he was too stubborn to admit it, even to himself. Ranko knew this for a fact, for she understood her brother, perhaps more than he understood himself even. Akane slept so peacefully…Ranko thought of how she and her brother might look together one day, if they ever got passed their personal barriers.

Then Akane started thrashing around in her sleep, breaking Ranko’s reverie. [Well, if pig-boy can put up with that, so can Ranma,] she thought. Ranko didn’t like Ryoga one bit, even though her brother thought of him halfway as a friend. He took shameless advantage of Ranma’s oath to keep his curse a secret, and Ranko was well aware of how much it hurt her brother to see Akane doting so much attention on her supposedly innocent pet ‘P-chan’. She would have to try to convince her brother that he didn’t have to keep an oath that the other party was dishonorably abusing so often. She certainly didn’t want to be the one to break the news. For one thing, Ranma would never forgive her.

She decided to leave the room before she inadvertently woke up Akane.

"Oh my!" Kasumi had been getting ready for the morning when she noticed that her father was still sitting where they had left him last night.

"Aw man! We forgot all about him!" Ranko admonished herself. Kasumi, ever to take things in stride when she could, collected herself.

"Good morning, Ranko-chan!"

"Mornin’, Kasumi. Here, let me give you a hand with him." With that, the two took Soun Tendo to the changing room for the furo. He seemed to be a little groggy and out of it, so Ranko prompted him. "Bath…then bed," she commanded. "It’s Sunday. You don’t have to be up. Your family worries about your health."

"Okay, fine, fine, Ranma…" Soun said, exhausted. He wondered that his future son-in-law was in girl-type and wearing what appeared to be an old set of Nabiki’s pajamas. Well…it was better that the completely unashamed show he had seen when Ranko had popped into existence yesterday evening. Then he did a double take. "Ranko?"

"Yes, Uncle Tendo, I’m Ranko. Ranma’s either still asleep or he and Pop are off somewhere. Since it’s Sunday, my bet would be on sleep." Ranko bantered lightly. Mr. Tendo was handling this much better than she thought he would be, but it would be best not to push things.

"It’s good to see you wearing something," Soun said tiredly. "Young girls shouldn’t go around without any clothes on." Ranko facefaulted, and then had the grace to blush furiously. "Nabiki used to do that too sometimes," Soun continued, so tired that he forgot that he was talking out loud. "I’ve lost track of how many times Kasumi or I had to scold her for not wearing anything around the house." With that, he disappeared into the changing room.

Ranko just stood there for a moment, shocked. Nabiki… calm, controlled Nabiki, who sold pictures of Ranma-onna and her own sister, had been a closet nudist? Well, if not closet, then a housebound one? She looked over at Kasumi, her eyes brimming with questions.

"It was just a phase my sister went threw, Ranko-chan," Kasumi explained. "She didn’t do it often, and she had stopped before your brother and father arrived."

"This I’ve got to hear!" Ranko stated, before offering to help Kasumi in the kitchen.

Ranma came downstairs with his parents and heard sounds from the kitchen indicative that there was more than one person there. Wondering if Akane was there, and half hoping and half dreading that she was, he went over to check. Who he found were Kasumi and Ranko giggling over some private story. Then Ranko spotted him.

"Oneechan! Good morning!" exclaimed Ranko cheerfully.

"Good morning, Ranma-kun!" greeted Kasumi with equal cheer.

"Um…mornin’?" Ranma tried, confused. He had been reminded that he had a sister when he woke up, for which he silently thanked his mother, otherwise he would have jumped to the ceiling in surprise. On the other hand, he still wasn’t used to the idea of being a brother, so he had no idea what he should do.

"What’s the matter, Oneechan? You look worried." Ranko could guess what was troubling her brother, but decided to try to narrow the field a bit by being helpful.

"Well…" Ranma looked into Ranko’s eyes and saw someone who would try to understand him. It helped that she claimed to be his sister, for that meant that he didn’t have to worry that she would try to become another fiancee or anything like that. He looked over at Kasumi, deciding that he could talk in front of her. "Have you seen Akane? I’d like to ap…a…ap…apolo…"

"She was still sleeping when I came downstairs, Oneechan," Ranko told him. Then she asked, "Can I borrow some clothing? I don’t have any of my own yet."

"Um…sure!" Ranma replied, startled.

"And, Oneechan," Ranko said quietly as she passed him. "Just say what’s in your heart."

"Oh my…" was all Kasumi could say. She hoped that this all worked out.

Ranko saw her mother by the door when she left the kitchen, and walked with her to the stairs. She was very surprised to find herself gathered up in a tight embrace. Looking up, she saw tears in Nadoka’s eyes.

"Thank you, Ranko, for helping my son," Nadoka said past her tears. "I’m proud to have a daughter like you, however you came to be." Ranko then hugged her mother right back, crying tears of joy for having been accepted so soon. Ranma knew so very little about his own mother that Ranko hadn’t been sure of how Nadoka would react to her. Last night all she had seen was an expression full of shock with a touch of suspicion.

"Um…Mom?"

"Yes, Ranko?"

"Could you keep Pop in line? Every time Ranma has tried to apologize while Pop was around, he would start spouting something stupid, ruining it for Oneechan."

"Of course, Ranko." Nadoka assured. "I’ll do that."

Shampoo was stalking silently towards the Tendo Dojo, in cat form, with anger in her heart and vengeance on her mind. Ranma would pay for shouting at her like that! He was just a stupid male. Where did he get off forgetting his place like that!? Well, she would show him a thing or two. One good scare, and then she would chase him into the furo and teach him what being a good amazon husband was all about! It would be even better if that violent maniac he lived with caught them this time! The rift that would cause might very well break up Akane and Ranma forever!

Cologne silently tailed her great-granddaughter, certain that Shampoo was up to something that would blow up in the young girl’s face. She was right, of course, but even she could not foresee the events that were about to transpire.

Ranko came back out of the guestroom wearing a set of Ranma’s customary Chinese fighting tongs. She had toyed with the idea of wearing one of the dresses that Ranma had picked up for disguise purposes, but she still had a lot of his distaste for such apparel. Besides, it would be fun to dress just like her brother for a while.

"Good morning, Ranma," greeted Akane, making a wild guess.

"GAHH! Don’t do that!" exclaimed Ranko, who had jumped back in fright.

"Don’t do what?" Akane asked. So far it seemed like Ranma she was talking to.

"Don’t sneak up on me like that," Ranko elaborated. "Oneechan is downstairs if you’re looking for him. I’m just borrowing some of his clothes." Ranko tugged at her clothing for a moment, straightening it out. "I have to get back to helping Kasumi in the kitchen,"

"Oh! Can I help too?" Akane asked, excited. Last night had been kind of fun, and she looked forward to spending more time with Ranma’s new sister.

"Not this time, Akane," Ranko responded gently. "I need this morning alone with Kasumi. Why don’t we ask her if we can help out for dinner?" Akane was angry for a moment, before realizing what Ranko had said.

"Okay!" Akane said, cheering up. "That would be fun!"

As the two went downstairs, Ranko resolved to try to be kind while performing damage control for dinner. Provoking Akane would only make things worse.

Nabiki came downstairs, joining Akane, Ranma, and Mr. and Mrs. Saotome at the table. She could hear Kasumi in the kitchen, which just left two people unaccounted for.

"Kasumi and Ranko put Dad to bed, and Ranko is helping her in the kitchen this morning," said Akane, answering Nabiki’s unspoken question

Nabiki took that at face value, and wondered how much Kuno would pay to see pictures of his pigtailed goddess in a domestic role.

Kasumi and Ranko were serving breakfast as Ranma tried to talk to Akane. For once, Akane wasn’t giving him the cold shoulder, as she usually did after one of their arguments. Nadoka elbowed her husband every time that it looked like he was going to interfere, but Ranma was still having a hard time saying what he wanted to. Ranko followed Kasumi into the kitchen again, and gave Akane a knowing wink as she did so.

"A…Akane…I…I’m…s…s…so…sor…" Ranma wasn’t used to apologizing, especially not on the spur of the moment like this. Most certainly not with someone he habitually argued with most of the time. It helped that she wasn’t giving him the cold shoulder treatment like all those other times that he had tried to do so. It also didn’t hurt that Mr. Tendo wasn’t there, and that his mother was keeping his father in line.

"Ranma," Akane said gently. "It’s okay."

"No, it isn’t," Ranma said sternly. "I shouldn’t have said even half the things I did to you yesterday! I lost my temper, and said things that I really didn’t mean. I hurt your feelings, and in doing so I feel like I’d torn out my own heart. Can you ever forgive me?" Ranma looked at Akane with frightened sincerity. It had been very hard for him to just try to say that he was sorry, and he went and said something like that? Had he been around Kuno too long? Or, perhaps, he had just been touched by the Kami, for what he had said had come straight from his heart to his mouth, bypassing any number of things that would ruined the statement, such as his ego and overwhelming pride. He felt very exposed, fearing that she would reject his apology and twist it like a knife in his broken heart. The intensity of his own feelings scared him. Could it be that he really did love Akane that much? Did he really know what love was?

"Ranma…" Akane started. She saw him tense up for a moment, and was pretty sure that if she chose to hurt him now, that she would never see him again. "Of course I can forgive you, silly." The look of relief on his face when she said this was worth the world to her. Ranma could be a real jerk at times, but there were moments when an inner innocence shown through his rough exterior. Moments when she could clearly see why she was so jealous when the other fiancees were around. Well, she knew better now. He loved her, not the others, and the only thing that would change that at this point would be if she drove him away. "I’m sorry too. I said some pretty stupid things yesterday myself."

"Akane, I…" Ranma froze, a look of sheer terror on his face. Akane wondered what was wrong, but she didn’t have time to wonder long.

"Mew," Shampoo introduced herself, not in the least bit pleased with what she had just witnessed. If Akane had only reacted the way she usually did, she might have been able to comfort him and take her place in his heart. She had almost given up on her plan to punish her future husband in favor of this new plan, but she saw that she would have to see it through after all.

"AAHHHHHH!!!" Ranma screamed, leaping to the far wall, where he cowered in terror. Something flew out of the kitchen and impaled itself in the floor before Shampoo-neko, forcing the cat to jump back. It was a carving knife, now imbedded three inches into the floor.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!" Shouted Ranko, rage and fury overshadowing her own terror of the feline that was threatening Ranma. "IF YOU HURT HIM, I…WILL…KILL…YOU!"

Shampoo-neko looked in shock at what appeared to be Ranma’s girl-type at the kitchen door, with a concerned Kasumi standing behind her. The furious expression on the redhead’s face brooked no argument, and the lethal array of kitchenware in her hands spoke volumes to the cat. Mostly about how outmatched she was in her current state. Shampoo carefully weighed her chances against this girl. As a cat, she could do nothing, so she chose the better part of valor and tried to retreat. Unfortunately, she ran right into Cologne, who caught hold of her, and approached the table.

"Well now, this is an interesting turn of events," Cologne commented lightly in an attempt to cut the tension. It seemed to be working, as everyone calmed down. "Now who are you to claim to be Son-in-law’s sister? I understood that he was an only child."

"Elder Cologne," Ranko bowed respectfully, "I am Ranko Saotome of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. My brother is my reason for being. I am his wish fulfilled. I love him dearly, and will protect him from harm, even if it costs me my own life." Ranko’s expression was completely serious as she said this. She didn’t expect to survive a fight with Cologne, but she wanted to make sure that Shampoo realized the full implications of her statement.

"I see," said Cologne. "Calm down girl, I have no wish to fight you right now. I would like a more complete explanation however."

One long explanation later had left Cologne feeling both enlightened and confused. Ranma and Ranko provided the bulk of the explanation, mostly with Ranko correcting things that Ranma had misremembered. She could see that they were telling the truth, and she wondered if things like this ever happened to anyone else besides her son-in-law. The puzzle ball must be a very powerful artifact indeed to have produced a living, breathing sister for him.

"May I see this puzzle ball, Son-in-law?" Cologne asked, earning a dark look from Nadoka – and, surprisingly, Ranko. Obviously, the boy’s mother and sister were against the idea of his marrying her great granddaughter. This carried more weight in her heart than any of his own objections. She would have to try to win them over or find another solution to the dilemma.

"Um…sure," Ranma replied obligingly. Ranko had been polite to the old amazon, so he thought that perhaps he should be at least civil himself. "Hey, Pop? You still have it?"

"Right here, son," Genma said, handing the bag to Ranma. He hoped his son knew what he was doing. He certainly didn’t trust Cologne’s intentions.

"Thanks, Pop," Ranma said as he dumped the contents of the bag. He only passed a few pieces over to Cologne, trusting his own reflexes should she decide to try for the rest.

Cologne noticed the care that her son-in… no, that Ranma was exhibiting, and approved. She resolved not to try to push him towards marrying Shampoo until she at least had won over his mother’s consent. While Ranma would be a fine addition to the bloodline, his mother and sister could be powerful opponents and a danger to the village if she wasn’t careful. She had sensed Ranko’s chi aura earlier, and knew that the girl was every bit her brother’s equal in battle. While she didn’t know what Nadoka’s abilities were, she was pretty sure that Ranma’s potential had to come from more than just his father, so she had to be a force to reckon with.

Letting Shampoo go, Cologne picked up the pieces that had been passed over to her, and extended her mystic senses. Then she shut them down again for a moment before trying more cautiously. Most of the mystic artifacts she had ever seen resonated with a quiet, serene power like gentle and complex music of an age gone by. The puzzle ball, on the other hand, practically sang out with all the vibrancy and vitality of a full orchestra heavy metal concert performing all of the classics of Mozart and Beethoven at once.

This had been crafted by a Kami, all right! One every bit deserving of the title, Daughter of Chaos. Cologne wondered if Ranko had any right to fear her wrath, or if she herself should fear Ranko’s.

Shampoo had gone into the kitchen, and had let Kasumi pour some hot water over her. She was too angry to care that she didn’t have any clothing to put on, and figured that her great grandmother had brought a set for her. Right now all she cared about was teaching this Ranko girl a lesson. Grabbing an unused pan, she stalked out after her prey.

Kasumi wondered if there was something going around that caused girls to loose their inhibitions about nudity. If there was, it seemed to be catching. On the other hand, Shampoo was prone to such displays where Ranma was concerned, so perhaps she didn’t need to worry.

Around the table, everyone was watching Cologne examine the pieces of the puzzle ball, so no one noticed Shampoo sneak up behind Ranko. She stood up, raised the pan high over her head, and…

"Forget it, you Korean blue plate special," Ranko said, not bothering to look back. "You couldn’t beat my brother on your best day! What makes you think you can beat me?" With that, she reached up, still without looking, and caught the pan as Shampoo tried to brain her with it. "Now settle down before I decide to sell you to a violin company or something!"

"Ranko!" Nadoka admonished. "Be polite! These are our guests!"

"Guests don’t try to clobber their hosts," Ranko pointed out.

"She’s right, great grand daughter," Cologne stated as she looked up to see what the problem was. "Good heavens, girl! Put some clothes on!" she exclaimed, tossing a set to Shampoo, who rapidly got dressed. "I have never been so embarrassed in all my life! When we get home, you’ll get a spanking you won’t soon forget!" With that, she left the table and the puzzle behind, and dragged her errant great granddaughter out of the house.

Ranko looked around the table. Her brother and father had carefully avoided looking at Shampoo as soon as they had realized that she was naked, but had turned to stare at her like everyone else had as soon as the amazons left.

"What?" was all Ranko could ask.

END CHAPTER THREE

OMAKI THEATER PRESENTS: Just Another Day at the Tendos

With special thanks to Lord Talon, who came up with this idea.

Mr. Tendo, Mr. & Mrs. Saotome, Cologne, and the Tendo sisters are sitting around the table, drinking tea. After a moment, Ranma could be seen running down the hall in terror, being chased by Shampoo in cat form. Ranko, who was wielding one of Akane’s kendo sticks, was chasing Shampoo. The group at the table took a sip of their tea.

A little later, Ranma ran past going in the other direction, still being chased by Shampoo-neko. Ranko, who now had a baseball bat, was still chasing Shampoo. The group at the table took another sip of their tea.

Shortly thereafter, Ranma ran by yet again, still being chased by the now frantic cat that was Shampoo. Ranko, who was still chasing Shampoo, had upped the ante by moving towards edged weapons. At the table, everyone sipped their tea again.

"So," Nabiki asked, "is anything interesting planned for today?"

END